Life Hacks to Make Life Easier

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Those of you who have experience being on the spectrum, what are some good life hacks to help you function on a day to day basis? I often have moments, where everything from cooking to getting out of bed to finding my keys is overwhelming, and enough to send me into a breakdown. Also not doing well lately with being overstimulated in public, and I need a way to prevent this.

I got some elastic laces for my shoes, as it's hard to find nice slip on shoes and I hate shoe laces with a passion.

They will make any shoes into slip-ons which is amazing, in my opinion.

Ooooo, I saw those on some documentaries I've been watching on triathlon training, a lot of people use them when transitioning from the bike ride to the run to save time. Also not liking the extra minute or 2 that it takes to put on shoes and bundle up now that it's cold.

https://candidlyautistic.tumblr.com/pos ... explain-to

^^ this will definitely make certain interactions less confusing.

i also find that sometimes someone just wants to rant to get it off their shoulders rather than get potential solutions from you.

both of the above are recent discoveries, blew my mind when they were pointed out.

If I can't find velcro shoes, I just leave the laces loose enough for a slip-on unless I'm going hiking on extreme terrain, where I wouldn't trust an elastic lace.
When I was young, I'd choose my jobs so as to have one paycheck in my hand, and another in my head, until I knew so many trades that I was forgetting some, and needed the practice of specialization.
My best hacks are using a checklist and writing memos. I sleep much better before a day trip for supplies if I use a list of all I should take and to check the oil, etc. I have another list of every food I buy, with space to tick off if I need it. The high-volume items have a separate price comparison section.
I see my counsellor monthly, and make a list of questions for her as they occur to me instead of mulling them over to at least refresh the memory every day.
I keep my things close to where I use them instead of with similar items, and adapt furniture to suit my space.
I ignore Television, Facebook, video games and Twitter.
I try to avoid deadlines, and even estimates, instead just enjoying the process and being happy with the improvements more time can produce.
I eat healthy food and usually get enough exercise. I'm learning to stretch, too. Life's irritants are far easier to tolerate if I have had plenty of sleep, and that is the product of all of the above.

I remember how I was mercilessly teased at school for being the only Grade 4 kid who had Velcro. Why not? They actually stayed "tied" and were far faster to get on. I now have a pair of Velcro snow boots and I absolutely love them.

One successful hack I have is to pack everything for work the night before as I carry a lot of equipment on my belt. I was surprised to find nobody else at work does this and they usually forget something at least weekly.

When I lived in the city, I used a bicycle for all my regular transportation. There is a learning curve to using one well, but it really pays off. It is the fastest, cheapest, and most reliable way to get around. There are no onerous legal requirements. A bike can get you to places away from traffic and most pedestrians. You can do a fine-grained search for places, stopping anytime. Even where bikes are rare, if you use one to find your home, job, and shops they will all be within range. If you have a busy, frustrating day, you ride faster and burn off the adrenalin instead of letting it fester in your head.

I bike everywhere, though living in Holland it's super easy, bike paths everywhere and stoplights that are rigged to turn green for cyclists first in rainy weather! It's almost always faster than public transport or driving living in the city. I did try to cycle for transportation when I lived in the US, but that didn't go well, a few near death experiences there.